Walt Disney World has announced 2012 dining plans, which include some small changes. Please find below a quick overview of all the available dining plans for Walt Disney World along with a downloadable brochure for each with more in depth information.

Please note, as you look at the brochures, many of the restaurants that will be included for 2011 are not currently listed on the brochures. This happens every year, as the agreements and contracts for non-Disney restaurants are negotiated each year when it comes to inclusion in the dining plans. As 2012 approaches, more restaurants will be included, and the list should be similar to 2011. Updates will additional restaurants or changes will be posted here.

Quick Service Dining Plan

Initially introduced in 2009, this plan has only changed slightly for 2012, Disney took away one snack and raised the prices slightly. The Quick Service dining plan is a fantastic option for park guests who don’t want to be tied to eating at a sit down restaurant each day.

The Quick Service Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

Two counter service meals

One snack

One resort refillable resort mug per person per stay

The cost of the Quick Service dining plan is $34.99 per night per adult (10 and older), and $11.99 per child (3 – 9).

Not much has changed from the Disney Dining plan of 2011, except the addition of the resort refillable mug and a small increase in price.

The Disney Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

One table service meal

One counter service meal

One snack

One resort refillable resort mug per person per stay

Please note gratuities are not included on the table service meals. Table service meals can also be used for signature restaurants, dinner shows, private dining or pizza delivery (these typically run 2 table service meals per person). More information can be found in the brochure.

The cost of the Disney dining plan is $51.54 to $53.54 per night per adult (10 and older), and $15.02 to $16.02 per child (3 – 9). The Disney Dining plan is priced based on your travel dates, and is higher priced during the following peak times:

February 16 – 25, 2012

March 9 – April 14, 2012

June 1 – August 4, 2012

December 21 – 31, 2012

It appears as though the cost of the dining plan is based on the day you check in, so if you check in one a date when the Dining plan is the cheaper price, and your vacation carries over into one of the higher priced times, you will pay the lower price for your entire stay.

Again, nothing has changed from the Deluxe Dining Plan of 2011, with the exception of a small price increase.

The Disney Deluxe Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

Three meals, which can be used for either quick service or table service meals

Two snacks

One resort refillable mug

The policy is the same for table service meals on the deluxe dining plan (gratuities not included, can be used for signature restaurants, etc.). If you use the meal credits towards table service meals, your meal will also include an appetizer for each person, in addition to the entree, dessert and drink.

The cost of the Disney Deluxe dining plan is $85.54 – $89.55 per night per adult (10 and older), and $23.79 – $25.79 per child (3 – 9). The higher price on the deluxe dining plan will be during the same peak periods as above:

Again, very little has changed with the premium package, it now includes:

Breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two snacks, per person, per night. Available 100 Walt Disney World restaurants (includes tax but not gratuities, unless otherwise noted). More information is found in the brochure below

Preferred fireworks viewing areas for Wishes at the Magic Kingdom and IllumiNations at Epcot. (Advance reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance and voucher is required.)

The cost of the Premium package is $179 per night per adult (10 and older), and $129 per child (3 – 9). That is in addition to the standard cost of a Magic Your Way package. There is now a 3 night minimum stay required in order to book the premium package.

Similar to the premium package above, the Platinum package is the ultimate in luxury. The Magic Your Way Platinum package is only available at the Deluxe Disney resorts. It includes everything the premium offers, plus:

The cost of the Platinum package is $239 per night per adult (10 and older), and $170 per child (3 – 9). That is in addition to the standard cost of a Magic Your Way package. There is now a 3 night minimum stay required in order to book the platinum package.

Comments

I’m kind of surprised you have labelled this as a “small increase in price.” On the regular Disney Dining Plan, it’s a 12% increase for adults, and 25% for kids. Over the last three years, the adult plan is up 29% and the child plan is up 36%.

Important to note… a HUGE change in the premium/Platinum plans which now requires a minimum 3 days stay thus eliminating the nice perk of getting these packages for a 1 day stay.
Alos, you forgot to mention that the Plat plan offers Victoria & Alberts as a dining choice 🙂

Just noticed a couple more things… you mentioned for the Premium Pack, you get a professional photo portrait session, which was actually removed from both the Plat/Prem packages awhile ago. It is important to note that last year you got the PhotopassCD with both packages, but it looks like they took that away from the Premium package as well. It still is lited on the Plat brochure

Missmop – the menus are the same at all restaurants, no special menus. There may be some items excluded like special desserts, but they are few and far between.

Snacks are the same on all dining plans. They would include ice cream, fruit, drinks, pop corn, etc. Most quick service restaurants include their desserts as snacks. Disney has a little purple logo that indicates that something can be purchased with a snack credit on all carts and in restaurants. Most stores sell quite a few items as snacks, though they are rarely marked as such, you have to ask. My kids usually stock up on the gummi treats in Germany.

Linda – I am assuming you mean the Downtown Disney resorts? Where are you staying? You can only do the dining plan at Disney owned resorts, so the Swan/Dolphin, Shades of Green and the Downtown Disney resort do not qualify.

We are planning a trip in Nov 2012. Is it same to assume that in some point in November Disney will offer free dining? We are flexible with dates…just trying to figure out if I can look at this year’s (2011) discounts and count on the same for next year. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Jennifer – No, not safe at all, I would say at this point, it is less than 50% chance we will see free dining for next November. There should be some sort of deal (or deals), just don’t count on it being free dining.

Wondering when they normally anounce the “free dining plan” dates for the fall? Similar to the prior post, we have flexible dates for October, and just wondering if we can expect similar free dining dates as 2011? And when we can expect to see those dates published?
Thanks!

Becky – Historically, free dining has been announced in early April (or late March) for the September time frame (usually mid-August through the end of September). If we are to see free dining in October (don’t hold your breath), we probably will not see that until early summer.

Franny – It was just a tease today, the information will be announced on 12/31. It isn’t going to be a discount, but a promotion concerning leap day and the Disney Parks – http://www.onemoredisneyday.com

Michaele – No idea. Disney doesn’t announce discounts in advance, so we just have to wait and see. We think it is likely that we will see free dining again in late August and September 2012, but we just won’t know for sure for a few more months.

Chris – Yes, possibly for June. Disney just started sending out PIN codes for all June dates for both Free Dining and a room discount. It is possible we may see some public deals too at some point soon.

Disney has been telling me over and over they want to get away from free dining, but they keep on releasing it. Each year it has been extended, the available dates for October – December are less and less. It is my feeling we will see it again for August/September, but that it will not be extended to additional Fall dates. I could be completely wrong, it has happened before.

Just an FYI, this is just my personal opinion, I do not have any inside information or knowledge, just how I see things shaping up.

So Keith, you think the odds that IF there is a free dining plan offered, it will be in September and not October of this year? I was really hoping we could get one for October, it’s our first trip to DW.

Kelly – Right now, I would say there is a 90% chance we will see free dining for late August and September, and less than 50% chance we will see it extended to dates past September. If it is extended, it will be similar to 2011 where it was just a few days here and there.

Keith…we visited late last Sept. 2011 just before Food and Wine Festival. I have made a reservation for Nov. 10th – 18th of 2012. I know it’s too early. Just wanted to lock in my resort and start paying. Any chance of any kind of discount? I noticed Disney isn’t throwing any out like in the past. Got spoiled with the free dining and dates are not flexible this year. Thanks for any help!

Denise – Really hard to stay, Disney rarely repeats deals from year to year, other than free dining in September. That week is usually empty, so there is a very good chance you will see something good, we will just have to wait and see.

We stayed at the Beach Club , October 2011 for the Food and Wine Festival. The free dining that we received was offered during the first week of August and we called as soon as it was announced. Awesome deal during a great time of the year!

hello Keith we are booked for aug 13-19 at the pop century. We have been waiting for any annocements for free dining our problem is my wifes job needs to know as soon as possible so as i was reading preveous commits you said it could be possible late aug. should i book a lter date. Thank you

Jamie – I would think so. In 2011, it started August 19 (if you booked really, really early). In 2010, it was earlier, August 15. I would think this year, if released, would be somewhere in that neighborhood, I don’t think it will start as early as August 13.

There was a Canadian deal for 2012 free dining released late last year, it started August 19, 2012. That is usually a pretty decent sign of what is to come.

It is likely we will not see the August/September deals announced until the first week of April, that is when we usually see them.

Sam – There was free dining for Canadian residents only available late last year, but it has long expired (December 17 I think) and is no longer available. We should see another deal for your dates at some point in the future, could be free dining (has been the last 6 years or so).

I’m coming to Disney between 6-1/-6/7. I booked under the room discount special. Any chance we will see a vacation package special offer or anything that will make the trip a cheaper one? You keep mentioning PIN codes for the June month. What exactly are those?

Jacquis – We are expecting a package deal for dates after April, but we have been for some time now and have yet to see anything. Still plenty of time.

PIN codes are discounts sent directly to consumers, you must receive a PIN code directly to you from Disney in order to get/use the discount. They usually come via email or USPS, and are targeted to people Disney thinks may come during the travel dates with a little coaxing. Don’t ask how to get on the list, no one quite knows.

we are planning to come may 6-13 and we booked at pop century in preferred room with room discount. if a package comes out that is kids are free which i read about have never seen ourself. which is gonna be cheaper for us. wish for free dining but…

Hi Keith,
Thank you for all of your information that you give on this website. Last year was our families first trip to Disney and we were lucky enough to get the free dining during August and September. We had great service and am glad to see that they added Rainforest Cafe in the dining plan as I made a mistake and booked a dinner reservation in DTD and we had to pay over $100 for our meal..oh well..it was a very cool place and our 3 kids loved it!!

I heard that Disney had sent out pin codes for free dining for travel between Marc h4th and June 30, 2012 but I have not actually heard of anyone receiving one. I have received them for the last 2 years but I never got one until late February. Now I am getting nervous. Has anyone actually received this pin code?

Karen – I have known quite a few people who have received one, though honestly, most have received the room discount rater than the free dining one. I might suggest you call Disney to see if you have one attached to your name, and it just got lost in the mail/email.

Forgive my question if it’s a crazy one, but If there is a pin code for free dining, how does one go about obtaining one? We’re hopefully traveling June 16-23 and looking for the possibility of free dining.

Chris – PIN codes are assigned randomly (or not randomly) by Disney based on such things as if they think you may come during the travel dates, if they think you may need a deal in order to come, etc. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to get a PIN code unless you are assigned one. You can call and ask for one, one has to be assigned to you. Make sure you are in the Disney system as a user, order a planning DVD, order some custom maps for your dates, plan a few trips for June online, etc. Other than that, there isn’t any way to ensure you get a PIN code, I personally have never received one.

You can also call Disney at 407-WDISNEY and ask to see if a PIN code has been assigned to you. They may have an old email address or mailing address, and it never made it to you. Never hurts to ask.

Hi
Has anyone every received discounts for loyalty? We want to plan our 13th trip in 7 years. They usually have discounts or free dinning but I am not seeing any for the time frame this year. I just wonder if they every give a ‘gift’ for being loyal. I could be barking up the wrong tree but anything is worth a try. Thanks

Hi Keith,
My partner and I are travelling to Mexico for 2 weeks and Disney for one week during September/October and really want to catch the halloween celebrations at Universal aswell, which leaves us with the choice of the last week of September or the first week of October. We would prefer to do the two weeks at Mexico and then travel to Disney for the first week of October, however I am worried last years October free dining was a once off thing. Do you think it is safer if we split up the Mexico holiday and head to Disney the last week of September? As we really need the dining to be free because we live in Australia and have expensive flights to cover.
Thankyou

Brianna – At this point, we think it is likely we will see free dining for September, but I think the chances are less than 50% we will see it extended. If we do, it should be similar to 2011 where it was just a few days here and a few days there. I would probably plan your WDW as early in the stay as possible.

I am starting to get worried. By this time last year we made our reservation with a room discount and switched to the free dining offered sometime in July. We got the Memories package end of Sept. 2011 with free dining. Arriving Nov. 10th this year. Everything I have read it is a slow week. Still no discounts room or dining offered. Just wondering. Disney doesn’t seem to be letting go of discounts this year.

Denise – We have yet to even see discounts for May, no to mention November. Typically, November deals are not released until sometime during the late summer, no reason to get worried now. If you haven’t seen anything by the end of August, then you can start getting worried.

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU ARE HAVING FREE MEAL PLAN IN AUGEST . WE ARE DISNEY CLUB MEMBERS AND WE HAVE 11 PEOPLE IN ARE GROUP WE ARE STAYING AT THE KIDDANI VILLAGE AT THE ANIMAL KINDOM WE WILL ARIVE THERE ON AUGEST 17 THRU AUGEST 24. IF WE QULIFY FOR THE MEAL PLAN WHO DO I CONTACT TO GET IT SET UP. THANK YOU!!!!!

Scott – There is currently not a free dining offer available for any dates. We do not know whether Disney will release it or not this year, we will have to wait and see. If you are staying at Kidani using DVC points, you will not qualify for any discounts, free dining or otherwise, those are only available if you book a package with the Disney resort and park passes included.

I would like to know, if I book a trip for the end of August 2012 without the free dining plan being offered, can I still get it added if its offered later and I already booked? Last year we were able to get the free dining and we were all booked by this time. I’m wondering if Disney is even going to offer it this year but I would hate to loose out totally on any room deals by waiting too long.

Wilma – 2011 was an anomaly, historically, August/September deals are released in early April, so still some time left. Yes, you can apply any future deal on an existing reservation, based on availability.

Do you think any new offers will be offered for May trips? I am hoping they will release a free dining plan soon for those dates. I heard they released a free dining plan for Disney Visa Card Holders only, but heard they usually extend this to everyone! Anyone know if this is true??

Hi Keith, do you think there will be an offer for free dining in August for non DW Visa credit card holders? Thats what we are hoping for so we can go again this year..enjoyed our 1st trip so much last year!

I asked a few months ago an you were doubtful for any November dates. Now that I seems they’re following the same trend as last year, do you have any more hope of select November dates? We are arriving on the 11th, a traditionally slow week.

Chris – No, not really. I was really pretty sure we would see September free dining. The fact that it was actually released comes as no surprise, and does not change my outlook on it being extended, I still see it as a 50/50 deal. If extended, your dates should be covered, that is a slow week.

Brianna – False. There was a Canadian only free dining offer that covered September, but it was released last year, and had to be booked by December 17 (give or take a few days). The offer released a few days ago is available to Disney VISA cardholders (only available in the US). On Monday, the offer will be extended to everyone.

Do u think they will add additional dates for free dining in August? Like starting it on 16 or 19th? Uk & Canadian offer is earlier in August. Any other discount that u think will be offered in August ?

Tyler – There are a ton of different snack options. Disney uses a little purple and white d/p logo around the parks to indicate what options are available as snacks. You will see this logo at all snack carts, counter service restaurants and even some stores. I have also been able to ask in stores if they have any snack options available, almost all do. Options range from Mickey ice cream bars to a bottle of Diet Coke to Gummi candy in Germany.

I am choosing the Quick Service Meal for the first time ever. Looking at the cost of $34.99 per day is this really a bargain? It would mean that I would have to spend $15 for each meal – is this actually a reality? From some of the menus I looked at it seemed like most QS meals are $10 or under.

Elaine – The quick service isn’t a huge money saver. Once you include the drink and dessert, most of the meals are going to be in the $15 – $20 range, some more, some less. I personally like the plans as they are a nice way to budget, it sure is nice to have everything prepaid.

Thanks Keith. It really doesn’t look like it would be much of a money saver but I thought I’d get “expert” opinions. I’ll have to give it some thought – not like I don’t have time since I’m not going until December. But it’s been 6 years so I will be doing a lot of research :o)

My daughter, son-in-law and 2 granddaughters are staying in the Animal Kingdom May1-5. The youngest grandaughter is 2. I’ll be joining them on May2 evening and staying with them until saturday checkout. Do I have to buy a meal plan ticket for the 4 nights? If I do vcan they use my points if I do not use them all since I’ll be arriving after almost 2 days are gone.

Janet – Everyone staying in the rooms should be listed on the reservation, and everyone on the reservation has to have the same dining plan and tickets. If you are not listed on the reservation, you cannot get the dining plan at all. If you are not there they entire time, they can use your extra credits. Technically, all the credits are in one big “pile”, it really doesn’t matter who uses them.

So, we are a millisecond away from reserving for the free dining the last week it’s offered in Sept. but it’s going to be SO hot and humid. I’ve read that in 09, 10, and 11 free dining for Oct was released in August. If you were me…would you wait to book or just go in Sept?

Carrie – You can always book it for September and move your dates to October if free dining is released for dates that work for you. However, October is more expensive and quite a bit more crowded, I personally prefer to deal with the weather than with the crowds.

I think Disney would be smart to open up their dining plans to people that aren’t staying at their resorts like Universal Studios. I am visiting in October and purchased meal plans for everyone(myself,my sons & their spouses ) at Universal and was so disappointed that I couldn’t do the same at Disney. It would make it so much easier.

Lori – Disney has 25,000+ hotel rooms, and they see the dining plan as one of the perks of staying in property, like Extra Magic Hours. They need to fill up those rooms, no way they ever let non-Disney guests book this.

The only coupons we see are during super busy times, when they offer deals to eat at off times, like lunch between 1:30 and 3PM. Otherwise, everyone pays full price.